Specialist Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons

The benchmark qualification for a trained plastic and cosmetic surgeon in New Zealand and Australia is FRACS (Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons) in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. This is the key qualification recognised by the Medical Council of New Zealand as a specialist qualification in plastic and reconstructive surgery.

The Find a Surgeon function on this website provides a comprehensive listing of specialist plastic and reconstructive surgeons who are members of the New Zealand Association of plastic surgeons.

A FRACS qualification in the specialty of plastic and reconstructive surgery is a guarantee that a surgeon has had a formal and thorough training in the specialty. Sometimes doctors with a Fellowship of the College of Surgeons (of England, Ireland, Scotland or Canada) or American doctors who are board certified in plastic and reconstructive surgery may be accepted by the New Zealand Medical Council as specialists.

If you have any concerns about your doctor’s qualifications, contact the New Zealand Medical Council and ask if he or she is a registered specialist in plastic and reconstructive surgery. Some doctors display certificates with qualifications not recognised by the New Zealand Medical Council as evidence of specialist training. Many of these “qualifications” are not recognised in the US or UK as evidence of specialist training either.